dim LED at lamppost when "off"

homeboundSeptember 6, 2012

I'm a handyman asking this on behalf of one of my clients.

They have installed an LED bulb in an outdoor lamppost which is on a digital timer switch (Intermatic, I think). When the timer-switch is off, the bulb still glows faintly. Is this normal and can this be prevented? They are concerned about wasting any energy at all. Thanks much.

Get a different timer. There are intermatic timers that use a switch rather than a semiconductor circuit. Sometimes they look identical to the incandescent-only ones. You have to read the ratings (they'll typically be good for fluorescent and small motors).

I don't know which one you have, but Intermatic makes essentially the same electronic timer (with dusk to dawn or timed) available with either an incandescent only (semicondulctor) or more general (motorized switch). They look identical from the outside. I had the former and my CF fixtures flickered when off as well. All was well after I switched.